Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad is going to host its flagship symposium—The Red Brick Summit (TRBS). The institute, in partnership with the industry bigwigs is organising the event to provide a professional career experience to the students and participants.

TRBS is set to start on September 29, 2017 and will run for four days. IIM Ahemdabad has amalgamated its fests— Insight, Confluence, Amaethon and ConneXions— for this event.

Giving his views on the association, Prabhat Pani, head-partnerships and technology platforms, Tata Trusts, said that “Tata Trusts believes in catalysing transformational change with a focus on sustainable development through innovation. Through our association with TRBS, we aim to inculcate in young minds, a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship directed towards the development sector. Our association will be in various forms providing young entrepreneurs an opportunity to convert their ideas into reality.”

Tata Trusts will also lead an initiative to recognise and award individuals making a tangible social impact. The individuals who have made an impact on the healthcare domain at the grassroot level will be given TRBS Social Impact Award. Anyone can apply for this award through the TRBS website.

The Tata Trusts will help IIM Ahmedabad to organise its first-ever Innovation Playground initiative to be held during the event. The idea is to create a platform for future business leaders to embark on the journey of turning innovative ideas into feasible and sustainable businesses. Students from leading B-schools are invited to pitch their plans to convert the product ideas into a business reality. The ideas will be evaluated by industry experts.

Tata Trusts will conduct a workshop on sustainable social startups during the event. The workshop will focus on CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and CSV (Creating Shared Value) activities of the private sector, so as to bring mutually beneficial ecosystem for both the firm and the societal stakeholders.

Prof. Errol D’Souza, director-in-charge, IIM Ahmedabad, said that “We at IIMA are honoured to partner with Tata Trusts with whom we have had a long standing relationship. Their commitment to transforming the social sector, where they have established practices of sustainability has always been a beacon that has influenced us.”

Speaking about the event, the coordinators said that “The team at TRBS has worked hard to stitch together a management symposium for the future leaders of the country. Our partnership with Tata Trusts reinforces our efforts to build a transformational symposium, one to be known for its quality content and wide reach. We are proud to be associated with them in our first year itself.”

Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI) organised a roundtable on the applications of AI in HR and the challenges that come along with it. The panel consisted of Baburaj Nair, CHRO, Hindu Group of Publications, Purvi Sheth, Shilputsi HR Consulting, Alok Sheopurkar, Head HR, HDFC Asset Management Company and Prasad Rajappan, CEO, Zing HR. The panel was moderated by Prasanth Nair – Managing Partner InHelm Leadership Consulting.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) can bring in a sea change in everything that we do and HR is not immune to this change. Though, people agree that AI has the capability of transforming the way HR functions, there is a certain inhibitions to accept this change. There are quite a few challenges as well.

Last week, the Bombay Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI) organised a roundtable on the applications of AI in HR and the challenges that come along with it. The panel consisted of Baburaj Nair, CHRO, Hindu Group of Publications, Purvi Sheth, Shilputsi HR Consulting, Alok Sheopurkar, Head HR, HDFC Asset Management Company and Prasad Rajappan, CEO, Zing HR. The panel was moderated by Prasanth Nair – Managing Partner InHelm Leadership Consulting.

Here are the minutes of the discussion that the panel debated, disagreed and agreed upon.

1. HR has a mandate to deliver and that’s in line with the business goal of the organisation. In such a scenario there is very little scope of predictability. It’s here that the role of AI comes into play. It enables HR to improve on its decision making capabilities and minimize predictability. Not just recruitment, AI has shown promise in all aspects of HR be it training, performance management and attrition.

2. Most organisations use technology for ‘convenience’ wherein the challenges of ‘distance’ and ‘choice of time’ are addressed. There are a few other companies that use the ‘computing power’ of technology. However, the use of ‘cognitive intelligence’ is still very limited and that needs to popularised extensively.

3. AI is not just about saving costs, or better utilisation of an executive time and thus improve his/her What AI enables is self-learning through which the executive can take informed decision based on predictions. It also eliminates biases and group thinking phenomenon. All we need to do is understand and train the model sufficiently.

4. To ensure that the industry gets the best of AI technology, HR practitioners need to reskill and ensure that there is an uninterrupted connectivity between technology and people. HR practitioners also need to ensure execution and implementation of AI at the last mile and that will be the key.

5. One of the important role for HR will be to address the concerns of privacy and security and ensure they are handled well. In addition, the challenge will be to ensure that the empathy and human touch is not lost in the transition. Though, technology in itself will enable us, but there will be ethical and moral dilemmas that need to be addressed in the use of AI.

The panel concluded the discussion by agreeing that the industry needs to meet, discuss and debate at many such forums for a better understanding and applicability to the context with the aim to add value to people and business.

IR experts from across industries discuss how safety at work deeply impacts employees’ motivation and productivity.

People spend a large part of their day at their workplaces. In fact, an average person spends 90,000 hours at work over their lifetime. Naturally, with a significant share of one’s precious lifetime being spent at the workplace, safety and wellbeing must be of prime concern to organisations. However, disturbingly, for many organisations, safety remains a mere compliance rather than a prime concern.

One of the sessions at The Happiness Conclave 2.0, held in Mumbai this year was focussed on ‘Tangible Vs Intangible: Safety over Rewards’ where leaders from across industries discussed safety at the workplace as being of utmost importance in keeping the employees motivated and productive. The panel consisted of Ganesh Chandan, CHRO, Greaves Cotton; Ravi Mishra, regional HR head, South Asia and Middle East, Birla Carbon; Mangesh Bhide, technology HR head, Reliance Jio Infocomm; and Arvind Usretay, director–rewards, Willis Towers Watson.

Usretay, who was the moderator, initiated the session with a brief introduction of the panellists and then elaborated on the format of discussion before requesting Chandan to share his opening comments first.

“What bothers me the most is the attitude of the managers and the organisations in dealing with the safety issues at the workplace.”

Ganesh Chandan

Chandan said that during his stints at various manufacturing and industrial setups, he had come across many industrial accidents, both fatal and non-fatal. “In such situations, what bothers me the most is the attitude of the managers and the organisations in dealing with the safety issues at the workplace.” He voiced his concern over the fact that most organisations develop systems to deal with the consequences of such instances, instead of putting in place systems to prevent them proactively.

Moreover, the victims in such cases are always people from the bottom of the pyramid, mostly the poor contract labourers. While organisations simply try to hush up matters when it comes to workplace accidents or fatalities, what bothers most is how organisations really view and perceive them; their attitude and reactions towards them really needs to change.

Talking further of physical safety, Chandan elaborated on the aspect of ensuring safety of women at the workplace, especially in organisations that have manufacturing setups in remote locations.

In addition, “There’s also the psychological safety aspect that manifests in many ways. Apart from dealing with harassment at the workplace, there’s case for non-sexual harassment as well,” he said. For instance, not allowing or supporting women to speak freely during meetings is a case of non-sexual harassment, he explained.

Also, during times when there’s increasing focus on high-performance culture as organisations go through ups and downs, and there is an increasing pressure to cut costs or downsize, organisations take random knee-jerk decisions. They fail to consider the consequences the employees may have to face later. Therefore, in many organisations, people are insecure about their job tenure or future in the company.

“Anything that involves human life or endangers it, whether it is a product or a service, needs to be carefully addressed, efficiently practised and ensured day in and day out.”

Mangesh Bhide

Providing a new angle to the discussion, Mishra explained how safety and happiness are interrelated. Safety ensures happiness, and happiness—personal or professional— also leads to a safer environment. At times, owing to various pressures and tensions, people take extreme decisions that may impact their lives. Mishra shared a recent incident of an employee in Vellore, who committed suicide just a week before his retirement citing abusive behaviour from peers as the reason. However, it was discovered later that he took the extreme step to ensure that his job gets transferred to his jobless son.

Emphasising the fact that it is important for organisations to know their employees, Mishra said, “Similar to the concept of KYC (Know Your Customer), as part of the HR function, we need to make efforts to know our employees and their state of mind.” He further shared that if train drivers, pilots or other professionals are stressed, they may not be able to perform as desired and in turn may impact both productivity and their own and customers’ safety. That is how, happiness supplements safety and vice versa.

Having shared the concept of KYE (Know Your Employee), Mishra elaborated that if a manager is stressed in his personal life and doesn’t attend well to his duties on the shop floor, the chances of accidents increase further, and hence, it is important that HR tries to understand the pain points of employees making direct connections with them at the workplace.

(L_R: Mangesh Bhude, Ravi Mishra, Ganesh Chandan & Arvind Usretay)

Taking the discussion ahead, Bhide condemned the attack by the Shiv Sena MP on the Air India employee, as he said, “While we are talking about robots working with us are we really considering about the safety of humans themselves as individuals irrespective of gender.”

He then talked about situations all of us may have faced at some point in time in our careers when we felt vulnerable. Raising a voice against such irregularities in the company, he said, “Are we not threatened enough when the manager casually says, ‘we’ll see about it during your appraisal’, ‘you were too vocal in the meeting, let’s have a conversation’, and so on.”

“While we are also talking about working with machines, it cannot be simply about carrying out safety just for the sake of statutory requirements,” Bhide opined.

Talking of the Air India incident again, Usretay shared that there have been a lot of other similar cases at hospitals with doctors being assaulted or abused by outsiders. “Whatever may be the reason to instigate such behaviours, these are unwanted. This brings to light certain things organisations need to be mindful about. It’s not only about employee safety, are employers also responsible for safety of clients and customers?” he asked the panel.

“I have been a part of some post-event investigations and I see it as a cold-blooded murder when a 21-year old contract labourer loses his life in an accident on the shop-floor and managers or top-management shirk it off as a case of human error.”

Ravi Mishra

He then quoted, Emmanuel David, director- Tata Management Training Centre, TMTC. David had shared with Usretay an incident from his experience at British Gas, while he was in Surat, leading the gas distribution for the city. It was a time when the city was heavily flooded. So much so that it could have impacted customers’ safety as there could have been gas leakages due to damage to the pipelines by the flood. However, the employees ensured that they waded through the waters to check the connections ensuring safety of each customer. That spelled the loyalty of a brand and its employees towards ensuring the safety of its customers.

Also, talking of workplace safety standards, Usretay raised a few more questions, “What about the cops on the roads? What kind of workplace safety standards do they experience? What about the safety of inmates in prison?”

“Another way safety manifests is in the products a company produces,” he added. For instance, Usretay shared that the automobile company, Volvo, is so focussed on safety that their website says ‘safety is a science-based religion for them’ and one of the projects called ‘Vision 2020’, which they are currently working on, is to eliminate all kinds of deaths in their cars in the next five years. The same level of commitment to ensuring safety exists for their employees as well, at the workplace.

Usretay asked Bhide about safety measures for their employees and whether it’s an afterthought or a reactive response. In a simple yet strong response Bhide said “Anything that involves human life or endangers it, whether it is a product or a service, needs to be carefully addressed, efficiently practised and ensured day in and day out.”

Usretay then asked Mishra, “How can organisations ensure that safety manuals don’t remain merely manuals, but become living documents?”

Mishra said, “Even in the current times, safety in most organisations is simply a compliance activity with mock drills, and so on, played out but not followed truthfully.” Sharing his thoughts on factory accidents or deaths, he said, “I have been a part of some post-event investigations and I see it as a cold-blooded murder when a 21-year old contract labourer loses his life in an accident on the shop-floor and managers or top-management shirk it off as a case of human error.”

“Volvo, is so focussed on safety that their website says ‘safety is a science-based religion for them’ and one of the projects called ‘Vision 2020’, which they are currently working on, is to eliminate all kinds of deaths in their cars in the next five years. The same level of commitment to ensuring safety exists for their employees as well, at the workplace.”

Arvind Usretay

Mishra stated that the only way to prevent such cases begins at the top-management, with their conviction to not let such things happen at the workplace. “Until the top management believes in doing so, and takes strict measures, such as firing the responsible managers after an incident, things will not change,” he said.

Further, sharing the example of common business practices, such as pizza delivery in 30 minutes, Mishra explained that this is a case of missing out on employee perspective and scapegoating them with impractical targets or objectives, in turn risking their safety. “Such practices are also leading to corporate cowboy-hood that is now sponsored and celebrated in organisations. Whoever delivers results by hook or crook, irrespective of conduct or morality, will be appraised. Such a value system will not help in the longer run,” added Bhide.

Chandan went on to say that, “However unfortunate it may be, the bitter truth is that we in India really don’t value human life. Even in cases of street accidents, we are all in so much of a hurry to reach our destinations that, we don’t even bother to look, let alone help.”

Similarly, in organisations, he shared that there is a kind of caste system that persists. They value employees at a senior level, while on the other hand, even if 10 contract labourers die, the organisation is more likely to be worried about only the process clearance rather than visiting the casualty’s family. On the other hand, in the case of senior employees, the organisation is likely to make every effort to ensure that the patients and the families are comfortable.

Furthermore, the panel agreed that owing to a high-performing culture, organisations turn a blind eye towards irregularities in people, who may be achieving targets. They do not have the guts to say that they are ready to lose their best revenue-earning manager on the grounds of unacceptable behaviour.

According to Chandan, just as there are stipulated behaviours that could define sexual harassment at the workplace, organisations should list out other kinds of unacceptable behaviours that can make people suffer at work.

“The day you are able to value every single human life in the organisation; implement all the physical safety measures in its true spirit; and take a tough stand differentiating good behaviour and bad behaviour, you will be able to make workplaces safer in the true sense,” concluded Chandan.

One CEO, four CHROs discussed whether organisations are ready for a shift aimed at enabling humans and machines to be co-workers.

From robots making pizzas to drones delivering them, technology, especially robotics is assisting humans in doing a lot now. At the same time, people even fear that it may take away some jobs, or change the way certain functions work. While HR experts and organisational heads across the globe try to understand the dynamics that will determine the way organisations function with humans and machines as co-workers, an eminent panel of CHROs from across industries, gathered at The Happiness Conclave to discuss what shifts in the mindset are required to ensure peaceful co-existence.

The panellists for the session were—Adil Malia, CEO, The Firm; Anil K Misra, CHRO, Magic Bricks; Rajat Grover, group EVP, human capital management, Yes Bank; and Ruchira Bhardwaja, CHRO, Future Generali India Life Insurance. The session was moderated by Deepak Deshpande, CHRO, Netmagic Solutions, who, on a lighter note started the session with a song. He then questioned how it would feel if we had someone beside us, with identical looks, and as intelligent or even more than us, and yet we know is not a human but a machine.

“The dynamic definition of happiness that keeps changing with milestones reached and changing circumstances, creates confusion in people.” Adil MaliaHe established that all that had been fiction till now is soon going to be a reality. However, the concern is whether organisations are ready for a shift, such that they can create a stable ground, where humans and machines could exist together as co-workers. He quoted the CEO of Deloitte, Cathy Engelbert, who mentioned fusion revolution in an article, wherein she talked about the biological, physical and digital worlds, and how these three merged to transform various aspects of business and human existence.

Deshpande then passed on the baton to Malia, who elaborated on the Fusion Revolution Theory saying that, “We now live in a dichotomic world, where on one hand we are looking out for prosperity and success and simultaneously, on the other hand, we are also looking for peace. The two realities need to exist in a common world.” Although the two may seem contradictory, in reality, they are not, and Malia says that we need to create a fusion environment where one leads to the other.

“According to survey done in the UK, 75 per cent of the respondents were comfortable working with machines as co-workers. This makes me wonder if it’s more complicated for humans to work with fellow humans comfortably.”

Anil K Misra

Talking of happiness, Malia said, “True happiness is the eternal purpose of life and finding the path to that is the driver and motivator for everything we do.” However, the dynamic definition of happiness that keeps changing with milestones reached and changing circumstances, creates confusion in people. He further shares that the core purpose of organisations is to look at two parameters—to enhance gross capital value of the commercial world we live in, and at the same time, maintain the net happiness. Now, “How do we work along with the robots and become co-bots, is what needs to be seen,” he opined.

Taking the discussion ahead, Misra stated that the founder of the World Economic Forum said we’re going through the fourth industrial revolution now with technology disrupting the workplace. However, what has not changed over the years is the purpose of making the life of the end user easier. He further shared that a survey by a job portal in UK revealed that 75 per cent of the respondents agreed that they are comfortable working with machines as co-workers. “That number made me wonder if it’s more complicated for humans to work with fellow humans comfortably,” he said.

Bhardwaja, shared her thoughts next quoting the movie Iron Man. She talked about how Tony Stark, the protagonist, beautifully co-exists with the machine—his suit—which is his saviour, gives him power and makes him the Iron Man. She also tried to foresee how humans could really co-exist with machines. “In a few years from now, it could so happen that we will be served tea or coffee by robots, even without being asked for our preferences as they would already know what we want. And, some of this is already happening through predictive analytics. It has crept into our lives without us even realising that it has,” she said.

Talking of co-existence of humans and machines, she mentioned that the only way it could work best is when machines would be able to give us the small pleasures of life, that we seek subconsciously.

While the panel was discussing co-existence, Grover touched upon the much prevalent fear of losing jobs to robots. He said, “It is important to understand that it is not about anyone taking anyone’s job, but about upskilling ourselves and our people, to work alongside machines.” He assured that machines are made by humans themselves and they would always need humans to make them, modify them and get them to perform. “Machines are only there to help enhance our productivity and performance, and make us excel in what we are doing,” he said.

“The co-existence of humans and machines can work best when machines are able to give us the small pleasures of life, that we seek subconsciously.”

Ruchira Bhardwaja

Adding to the thought, Malia explained that smart machines or robots that were once part of fiction, are not all about fake voices or weird bodies. They will be about enhanced analytical abilities, which are humanly impossible. They will only assist humans in doing things more efficiently. He shared the example of an arthroscope used by surgeons, which is capable of seeing eight times better than what the normal human eye can see. “Therefore, the ability of such machines enables us to do things better than what we are capable of on our own. Now the question is, ‘how do we find equanimity from within us to be able to co-survive and yet continue to be happy in that reality?’” he opined.

Deshpande asked Malia, what new skills organisations will need to impart to people who will be required to work with machines, and whether machines need to be trained to work with humans at the same time.

“Machines are made by humans themselves and they would always need humans to make them, modify them and get them to perform.”

Rajat Grover

In response to this Malia stated that since knowledge is outpacing itself rapidly in the present times, the most critical competency one needs to have is the ability to learn, unlearn and re-learn. “Secondly, agility and resilience in the changing environment is very critical or we will be like dinosaurs that could not survive change and gradually reached extinction,” he said. He added that the ability to create positive workplace citizenship is also important for organisations, as engagement is not going to mean much in the coming times.

Bhardwaja added ‘street wisdom’ to the list of desired capabilities. “The ability to keep one’s eyes open to things that are happening around, will be key,” she said. Misra also added collaboration to the list. He cited the example of the real-estate sector and how robotics cannot yet make buying decisions for people. However, it can still assist people by showing them options, benefits and so on, based on their preferences, to create a good buying experience.

A panel at The Happiness Conclave 2.0 discussed whether technology really helps iron out the inconveniences of employee work-life or is more intrusive.

Technology in the workplace has certainly impacted various aspects of how people network, communicate, interact and perform. Big data, analytics and AI have taken this a step ahead changing the whole meaning of jobs. While organisations look further in terms of digitising workplaces, an eminent panel consisting of CHROs from across industries and a business head, came together at The Happiness Conclave 2.0 to discuss whether technology really helps iron out the inconveniences of employee work–life or is it more intrusive.

Solanki kick-started the session by broaching the subject of living in a technology-pervasive world, where there is no escape. He said, “When the country deregulated in the 1990s and the Internet came in, it rapidly and drastically changed how we interact, communicate and work.”“If employee-engagement surveys have a question on what irritates you most in office. I am sure the answer will be technology,”

Sanjeev ParkarPondering on how things changed in the past two decades, he asked his co-panelist, Parkar, to share his experiences on how technology has made life easier at the workplace; what’s working and what’s not.

Parkar responded with a reflection on the huge shift in technology since the 1990s. “Earlier, e-mails were not so popular, but now we send out a mail every other minute expecting immediate replies. The sheer pace at which decisions are made can result in irritations,” he opined.

Parkar opined that most of the employee-engagement surveys have got so many questions, but the one question that really needs to be asked is what irritates one most in office. “My gut feeling is that most people would find technology to be a major irritant,” he quipped.

He is of the belief that people aren’t bothered by career development or related issues; what really annoys them is the fact that an app doesn’t work when it is clicked. Similarly, he finds the use of WhatsApp for formal discussions quite irritating. “During interventions it is important to address what irritates people to the core,” he said.

“The pressure to be constantly online, to constantly know and understand more are the aspects that can cause tremendous stress, and that is something organisations can certainly work towards reducing in a significant way,”

Geethaa Ghaneckar

Solanki wondered if we have become slaves to technology. “From an organisational standpoint, do you think organisations are mature enough to create a framework for happiness in the midst of embracing technology and ensuring profits?” he asked.

Ghaneckar, who has been associated with a 90-year old organisation—Raymond—shared how they had undergone dramatic shifts in the way they work and sell, in the last 10 years and certainly in the last five. “We are one of the early organisations, with a chief digital officer, and we have a full digital team working with her to create a digital organisation,” she stated.

She shared that every aspect of the business is now being looked at in terms of digitising and making it more mobile, as these are two inevitable realities of today and tomorrow. She revealed that almost 60 per cent of the workforce at Raymond is below the age of 30, which is a millennial workforce, and they are all digital natives. “Wifi is like life blood for them. What we may call irritant is a way of life for them. So, while managing a workforce we have to accept this difference. At Raymond, we have five generations working together. It is a balancing act for us and this will continue for the next 20 years at least,” she said.

She further elaborated that the population of millennials in the workforce is only going to increase in the coming years, along with the entry of GenZ, who are all digital natives. With that, the expectations from Wi-Fi, apps and social media conversations with colleagues, digital transmission of everything in real time is all going to be a way of life.

Having said that, “The pressure to be constantly online, the pressure to constantly know more and understand more are the aspects that can cause tremendous stress, and that is something organisations can certainly work towards reducing in a significant way,” Ghaneckar added. She shared how at Raymond, the effort is to ensure that people use technology in a responsible way —“We need to draw a line before technology gets very pervasive.”“Previously, the onus of work-life balance was on the employer due to a fixed work hours. However, now the onus is on the employee to figure out a way to balance work and life,”

Sailesh Menezes Taking the discussion ahead, Solanki mentioned that while people in the Scandinavian or western European countries clock 32 to maximum 40 hours a week, on an average, and are now even talking of shutting down physically and digitally after stipulated work hours, we in India work a minimum of 55 hours a week. “That said, do organisations need to reflect on where we stand and do we need to draw a line somewhere?” he asked, passing the baton to Menezes.

Menezes, embarked with the thought that “Happiness is a decision, it’s not a feeling. You cannot feel happy, you have to decide to be happy.” He stated that technology should be an enabler. It should enable one’s life and not become life instead. If it becomes the end state then there’s something wrong with the whole means to the end itself.

“Let’s not try and tag technology as a hero or a villain. It drives us, it allows us to be more organised and more connected. That is why we should have a give and take relationship with technology,”

Mansi Mehta

“On that note, if you look at work–life balance, earlier the onus of creating the same was on the employer as there used to be a fixed timing within which the employee would work in office and post that, was free to do whatever he wished to. However, now the onus is on the employee to figure out a way to balance work and life,” Menezes opined.

Now that most organisations are moving to flexible work schedules allowing employees the opportunity to define how they actually live their lives every day, it is causing even more stress as most employees struggle with this.

On the contrary, Mehta said, “Technology is my lifeline. We live a mobile lifestyle today. Let’s not try and tag technology as a hero or a villain. It drives us, it allows us to be more organised and more connected. That is why we should have a give and take relationship with technology. If it’s giving us the ability to work remotely and at any time, why can’t we allow it to take our accountability or ownership to an extent?”

Regarding work–life balance, she shared that, at Jombay people believe that there is nothing like work–life balance. There is life at work and work at life.

She further shared that while there has been a lot of buzz around IoT lately, she feels that instead of Internet of Things, people should think of ‘Internet of Me’, and find out how that technology is going to help them improve their productivity or reduce stress level. In addition, she believes that individual productivity is very private and confidential and organisations should not have access to an individual’s productivity. Rather, it should be examined at an aggregate level.

“I am totally in support of technology, but somewhere we will need to draw a line, as someone said rightly, technology is a great servant but don’t make it your master,” she concluded. However, Solanki followed it up with a question — “Are we reaching a stage where we can have a bespoke customised approach to policies and hierarchies, welcoming a new generation into the workforce?”

Mehta responded by admitting that she agrees it has to be bespoke and customised, since it has also been already established that happiness is different for each individual and it changes every day. If it’s customised, to not necessarily bands or levels but to one’s functional role, and how they feel as an individual, it will add a lot of value, and in turn, give happiness to people.

Menezes added, “Technology, if used effectively, can be an extremely strong enabler,” as he shared the example of how organisations these days have the concept of hot desks or hot seats and there are sensors that can guide people to the next available seat instead of one having to go around looking for one.

While the panel agreed that technology in the workplace should only be there to an extent or it may get too pervasive, Ghaneckar put it beautifully saying, “It should be like a humming air-conditioner that works in the background and only makes people comfortable. Till that extent it is good but beyond that it can get intrusive.”

At the same time, she shared how technology is being designed to be very addictive; that it is real, and happening; and no more anyone’s choice. For instance, Raymond has already announced the introduction of robotics in the factories. In that respect, Ghaneckar said, “Since that decision may up our RoI, it is going to impact about 2000 employees and my only discussions with the leaders while implementing this is about how we are re-deploying or re-skilling those 2000 people.”

She believes that HR should play the gatekeepers’ role in ensuring technology is used wisely, while the expectations of people are also in control. One cannot expect employees to be online and available all the time, only because technology allows them to do so. People can choose to simply switch off after a point, and organisations and managers need to respect that choice. As the session concluded, the panel unanimously agreed to Ghaneckar’s statement that, “Conscientious use of technology, digitisation and mobility is the way to go and organisations are responsible for this.”

A panel of senior members from the industry – Rajesh Padmanabhan, Rani Desai, ES Srinivas, Sandip Ghose, Mahalakshmi R and Kamal Karanth – with diverse experience and expertise opine on what happiness means in the current times and how organisations can facilitate the same.

It’s true that happiness is individual responsibility but the question is whether organisations can facilitate the same. In the first panel discussion at The Happiness Conclave 2.0, three senior HR leaders, an academician, a sales and marketing professional sat together to discuss the same. The session was moderated by Kamal Karanth, the former MD of Kelly Services, who started his career in pharma sales. The panellists included Rajesh Padmanabhan, director, member–group council & group CHRO, Welspun; Rani Desai chief people officer, Deloitte; ES Srinivas, professor, organisational behaviour area, XLRI; Sandip Ghose, executive president, sales, marketing & logistics, Birla Corporation; Mahalakshmi R, head-HR India, Mondelez.

The thought behind this session was to get people from varied function and expertise to discuss happiness in the new workplace.

"After a bad day at work, going home and relaxing may be happiness or after a bad day at home, going to office and getting distracted may be happiness, but in reality, it is only a sense of escape."

ES Srinivas

Karanth started the session explaining how happiness can mean different things to different people, depending on their life stages and circumstances. He shared how his definition of happiness kept changing as he progressed through various kinds of jobs. For instance, in his first job he was just happy to get the salary while in his second job, the happiness was about getting the salary on time. In the third job, happiness was linked to increments and in his last job it was about getting a good night’s sleep.

What he meant was happiness cannot be defined in one way as it holds different meanings for different people, in different circumstances.

ES Srinivas, professor, organisational behaviour area, XLRI, followed next with the thought that happiness was often a misinterpreted term.

He said, “Most of the times we mistake the sense of relief for sense of happiness. After a bad day at work, going home and relaxing may be happiness or after a bad day at home, going to office and getting distracted may be happiness, but in reality, it is only a sense of escape.”

“Individuals bring their whole self into the workplace—including their physical, mental, emotional and social selves, and most importantly, their souls. It is the energy of the soul that drives happiness and that’s different for everyone. Happiness is a confluence of all of this. It is a way of life and let us live it that way through technology.”

Rajesh Padmanabhan

Citing the ‘Drowning Model’ from academics, wherein you immerse a person in water, and as he’s struggling to breathe, you give him a break to catch his breath, Srinivas said that, that particular moment will give the man maximum happiness. He shared that interestingly, some people also talk about a Love-making Model of happiness, which entails investing time in building relationships and nurturing them.

“Philosophers, academicians and psychologists have always discussed happiness, but it is encouraging to see that now corporates are talking about it too,” he quipped.

Srinivas explained another model for happiness, by the happiness expert, Martin Seligman, from the University of Pennsylvania.

He proposed three concepts ensuring happiness—pleasure (which could be about any fleeting experience or intensive experience), engagement, and finding meaning (having a purposeful existence).

Srinivas also conveyed that recently, global performance management consulting company, Gallup, highlighted five aspects of wellbeing — career, physical, financial, social and community wellbeing. About 66 per cent people across countries and corporations are happy in at least one of these areas, whereas only seven per cent are happy in all five dimensions.

Taking the discussion ahead, Karanth raised a question—“Is happiness just another overhyped corporate term we’re playing with? Don’t we just need productive employees over happy employees?”

“Happiness is an outcome of a fulfilment. As the needs, aspirations, desires and ambitions change for different generations, the meaning of happiness also changes. The baby boomers had different kinds of needs, the fulfilment of which gave them happiness, and so on.”

Rani Desai

Sandip Ghose, executive president, sales, marketing & logistics, Birla Corporation, responded, “If happiness can, in turn, make people more productive then certainly it is of importance to organisations. However, it is also true that everyone needs to define and find happiness for their own selves.”

Ghose presented a contrarian point of view saying that, “For organisations it is very complex to define and ensure happiness, especially with multiple generations working together under one roof. Hence, it gets presumptuous when organisations try to create happiness for everyone. I am highly sceptical of words, such as ‘chief happiness officer’. We only need to provide them space where they can find or create their own happiness,” he added. He also mentioned that in addition to physical fitness, organisations need to look into ensuring the mental wellbeing of employees, and if one can give people tools to manage the same, the rest will be taken care of automatically.

Throwing some light on generational differences or similarities and what it means to find happiness, Rani Desai, chief people officer, Deloitte, said, “Happiness is an outcome of a fulfilment. As the needs, aspirations, desires and ambitions change for different generations, the meaning of happiness also changes. The baby boomers had different kinds of needs, the fulfilment of which gave them happiness, and so on.”

Desai also shared that giving the current generation—living in abundance—the fulfilment to meet with their motivators and desires will ensure engaged employees, and the same has been true across generations.

Drawing attention to the aspect of technology in the workplace and its impact on happiness, Rajesh Padmanabhan, director, member–group council & group CHRO, Welspun, said, “I wouldn’t say technology is intrusive, but it is inclusive. Having said that, we’re packing so much into machines that not just manufacturing robotics, we will soon experience service robotics too, and may be in the next few years, while we talk, we will have a robot sitting beside us asking ‘what’s in it for me along with you all?’”

“If happiness can, in turn, make people more productive then certainly it is of importance to organisations. However, it is also true that everyone needs to define and find happiness for their own selves.”

Sandip Ghose

He further explained that for real happiness, few elements that come into play are, mysteries, adventure, surprise and anxiety buckets. While organisations still talk about career paths, work–life balance, and so on, there are people who have sacrificed their careers for a life they wanted. Hence, there’s not a singular standard approach to happiness, as it has to be customised to individuals.

Concluding his thoughts, Padmanabhan said, “Individuals bring their whole self into the workplace—including their physical, mental, emotional and social selves, and most importantly, their souls. It is the energy of the soul that drives happiness and that’s different for everyone. Happiness is a confluence of all of this. It is a way of life and let us live it that way through technology.”

Progressing the discussion, Karanth asked if happiness in the workplace is the responsibility of the HR or the CEO or otherwise. Responding to this, Mahalakshmi R, head-HR India, Mondelez, said, “Happiness is rapidly becoming an industry and it may not serve us well if we externalise happiness. What organisations can do is to provide an enabling environment. However the choice to be happy is always intrinsic and each of us own our own happiness "”

“Happiness is rapidly becoming an industry and it may not serve us well if we externalise happiness. What organisations can do is to provide an enabling environment. However, the choice to be happy is always intrinsic and each of us own our own happiness.”

Mahalakshmi R

She also shared that today people are getting closer to what makes them happy, and if they don’t find it in their workplace, they do not depend on their organisations anymore; they immediately switch. “Ability to take risks, identify their flow and do something that gives them a feeling of timelessness has become important to people,” she added.

In line with that, she explained, “Happiness is very subjective, and the only thing that organisations can do is to see if they can create a space for everyone to chase their happiness. At Mondelez, we really encourage people to be reflective through a framework called ‘Me, Us and It’. We create an ecosystem for people to share, discuss and find fulfilment in things that they are interested in.”

The discussion concluded with everyone concurring on the belief that although organisations are responsible for enabling employees to seek happiness, it has to be each one’s responsibility. The networks, peer groups, leaders and co-workers together create an ecosystem in the workplace that allows each one to find meaning in what they do, and in turn, discover their own happiness in the workplace.

(Sodexo, Art of Living Corporate Programs, XLRI, NHRDN Pune, NHRDN Mumbai, XoxoDay and Kommune are partners for The Happiness Conclave).

Mette Ekeroth, deputy head of mission, Embassy of Denmark in India, shares the simple elements that ensure a happy country and happy people.

While organisations across the globe try to keep their workforce happy and engaged, The Happiness Conclave 2.0, held in Mumbai on March 24, had Mette Ekeroth, deputy head of mission, Embassy of Denmark in India, shared with the audience the secret to what makes Denmark one of the happiest countries of the world.

As it turns out, there is no chemical formula to ensure happiness in a country or a company, but the simplest things in life, if learnt and imbibed well as a cultural element, add to making people happy—be it in their motherlands or their organisations. Yet, the whole discussion around happiness has lately attracted a lot of attention of bureaucrats and corporate leaders across the globe.

Ekeroth says, “The subject of happiness has risen high up the international agenda in recent years.” The UN has adopted a resolution calling for all countries to increase the happiness of their people. Consequently, world leaders are trying to explore why some societies are happier than the others, as they seek to create the best possible conditions for happy citizens.

At the Conclave, Ekeroth unveiled the secret ingredients that have put Denmark as one of the happiest countries in the World Happiness Report for so many consecutive years since it was first released in 2012. The simple elements that ensure a happy country and happy people in Denmark are:

Trust: One of the main reasons that Denmark does so well in international happiness surveys is the high level of trust. Ekeroth shares, “Danes trust each other and the legal and political system, which makes life a little bit easier." She also shares examples to explain the high level of trust people display, as she says, “Self-service fruit and vegetable stands are common in rural Denmark as Danes trust each other to pay for what they take.” Similarly, she shares that the level of trust is so high that Danes leave their babies in strollers outside shops and cafes in the fresh air, while shopping or taking a break. Danes’ trust in their legal political system also adds to their personal sense of security, and in turn, mental peace and happiness.

Social security: The social welfare system in Denmark is so strong that the people who are less well off in Denmark are significantly happier than those in other wealthy countries. “The Danish Welfare State reduces uncertainty and social and economic concerns among the population,” says Ekeroth as she discloses that the unemployed or the disadvantaged members of society in Denmark, receive monthly social benefits. In addition, students receive study grants from the government, and the universities are tuition free. From illness, to unemployment to poverty, the welfare system takes care of its people, eliminating any chances of extreme unhappiness.

Work: When Danes talk of work life, flexibility is the keyword. A large number of people are able to plan their work in order to accommodate family life, enabling them to pursue a career as well as a fulfilling family life. Ekeroth explains, “Social relations, identity and meaning are among the benefits of work—in addition to wages. Therefore, work is important for happiness.” She also shares that Danish workplaces are generally characterised by high levels of autonomy and job quality. According to a research, 94 per cent of Danish employees are satisfied with the conditions at work.

Work–life balance: This balance is of utmost importance in ensuring overall happiness for any individual. “The Danes have time for a family life and leisure alongside their careers and enjoy high levels of flexibility at work,” Ekeroth revealed. She also shared that the Danes enjoy 52 weeks of paid parental leave and, on an average work only 29 hours a week. This makes them be part of those people in the world who on an average put in the fewest working hours a week. Danes get to spend about 15.9 hours for leisure and personal care.

Civil Society: Last but not the least, Denmark is one of the countries with the greatest level of social cohesion in the world. Ekeroth explains the reason behind this as ‘the high degree of participation in voluntary work. “Both voluntary work and social relations are important for happiness,” she opines. Sharing an example, she says that during the summer, Danes love to spend their time outside as the green spaces of Copenhagen are used for both leisure and work.

Furthermore, in response to one of the questions from the audience, Ekeroth shares that Denmark enjoys inclusive governance as the Danish Parliament has the highest number of women, and hence, half of the population is represented among the decision makers.

Responding to another interesting question from the audience, about the correlation between GDP and happiness, Ekeroth said that in the case of Denmark, wealth is not the full story. She beautifully concludes, “It is the protection against poverty more than wealth accumulation or creation in itself that allows us to be happy. And hence, you could say, more carefree.”

(Sodexo, Art of Living Corporate Programs, XLRI, NHRDN Pune, NHRDN Mumbai, XoxoDay and Kommune are partners for The Happiness Conclave).

We are living in interesting times with not just changes but unpredictability in different dimensions impacting society, organisations and individuals.

Happiness is subjective, but while people themselves strive to find true happiness in these stressful times, organisations are also including employee happiness as an important agenda in their strategies to improve performance and productivity.

However, how does one balance performance pressures with employee happiness in an unpredictable business environment? How do business leaders and CEOs look at it? What are some of the factors that need to be considered?

The Happiness Conclave 2.0 organised by HR Katha, held in Mumbai on March 24, had a panel of CEOs discussing the topic—‘CEOs’ take: How senior leaders can build and maintain a high-performing and yet happy work environment’.

The panel for this session had Dr. Bhaskar Das, president, chief growth and innovation officer, Zee Unimedia; Partha Sinha, vice chairman and managing director, McCann Worldgroup, and Adil Malia, CEO, The Firm, as participants, while I moderated the same. Interesting perspectives emerged on happiness as seen at various levels, such as individual happiness, organisation happiness and social happiness.

We need to continuously contextualise happiness amidst the turbulence in the larger eco system, wherein the individual and organisation need to adapt and reorient on a continuous basis.

We are living in interesting times with not just changes, but unpredictability in different dimensions impacting society, organisations and individuals. All agreed that the primary objective of the organisation is to create value for stakeholders and as role holders one needs to be focussed on the same. However, there were differences amongst panel members on the degree and level of organisational role in employee happiness.

One view was that the role of the organisation is to create a positive environment for employees; an environment, which will enable them to perform their role in line with the purpose and ambition of the organisation. The other view that emerged was that the organisation needs to play a more involved role to ensure that different dimensions (macro and micro) impacting the individual happiness are taken care of. Perhaps the answer lies in contextualising it to the firm’s eco system.

A question that the panel sought an answer for was—Is happiness a critical value differentiator or is it something that is good to have? While logically it appears that happiness leads to greater productivity at various levels, more study needs to be done to validate the relationship and also to ‘affirm the consequent’. Additionally, it was felt that one needs to keep in mind the larger societal happiness. Happiness at a micro level (individual and organisation) cannot be dissociated from that at a macro level (social happiness).

Given the magnitude of changes taking place, we need to continuously contextualise happiness amidst the turbulence in the larger eco system, wherein the individual and organisation need to adapt and reorient on a continuous basis. And ultimately, at an individual level, the ‘pursuit of happiness’ is illusionary—happiness can never be a destination nor can it be demanded. It is an ‘individual choice’ and ‘a journey towards the purpose’.

The panel ended the discussion by bringing in the spiritual dimension to individual happiness, wherein happiness is seen as a result of internal peace, which arises from a deep level of self-awareness. Can Individuals explore the same? Can organisations facilitate the same?

(The author was a moderator at The Happiness Conclave 2.0, and he is currently managing partner and country head, InHelm Leadership Solutions)

(Sodexo, Art of Living Corporate Programs, XLRI, NHRDN Pune, NHRDN Mumbai, XoxoDay and Kommune are partners for The Happiness Conclave).

Happy customers are made by happy employees. Hence, process experience for employees has to be that simple too. Sanchayan Paul, head of rewards–effectiveness and change, Vodafone, shares the secret recipe behind ensuring employee happiness at the workplace.

Happy people make happy organisations, but some companies are seen as happier places to work as compared to others. Why? Because there is a secret sauce that goes in—something special that these organisations do to ensure a happy and engaged workforce.

At The Happiness Conclave 2.0, held at Taj President, Mumbai on March 24, Sanchayan Paul, head of rewards–effectiveness and change, Vodafone, shares the secret recipe behind ensuring employee happiness at the workplace.

“Happiness is a journey, not a status that a company can achieve. You can only make efforts to build a happy set of employees,” Paul says. With its motto to be the most loved telecom service provider in India, the company also looks to delight its internal stakeholders—the employees. Paul shares that similar to customers, employees also have changing expectations and that organisations need to make efforts to keep pace with that changing target and live up to it.

"F1 drivers do not distinguish between themselves and the car. They are in the here and now. Similarly, employees should not distinguish between the job and the company."

Explaining why Vodafone measures Net Promoter Score (NPS), not just for its customers but its employees too, Paul says, “Happy customers are made by happy employees. Hence, process experience for employees has to be that simple too.” Paul explains that a high engagement score does not necessarily lead to business performance, but it is a combination of that with the Manager Index (how you perceive your manager treats you, coaches you, enables you to be upskilled); and softer areas, such as culture or how people experience Vodafone.

Paul further explained what psychologists typically identify happiness with, as he shared the same in crisp points:

• Pleasure—hope, contentment

• Engagement— Extent to which one can deploy one’s talent and use skills on the job; show how much of oneself one brings to work every day.

•Meaning— urge to do something bigger; desire to impact beyond the organisation and beyond the area of influence, such as the job.

Building up an analogy from a picture of F1 racing, in his presentation, Paul shared that “Really good drivers do not distinguish between themselves and the car. They are in the here and now.” Similarly, he believes that employees should not distinguish between the job and the company. HR folks, on the other hand, look for ‘Job–Person Fit’.

Vodafone ensures happy employees through various conscious efforts and initiatives, such as impacting communities through product creation, World of Difference, Giving Championship, Raise Your Hand, apart from opportunities across 18 business units, 400 + locations in India, and international assignments and projects.

Paul shares that Employer Value Proposition (global; 8 propositions created through FGDs and surveys across 96,000 employees in 30 countries). He shared that Vodafone also uses structured (regression and other analyses) data and unstructured data (patterns of car usage, use of maternity leave policy, and so on, along with response and feedback during town halls and gatherings) to ensure employee wellbeing.

He explained how a shared economy can boost required behaviours inducing happiness and satisfaction in the workforce. He mentioned people using Uber instead of buying cars and using Airbnb instead of hotels. “How can we deliver shared experiences with rewards and recognition,” he asked as he spoke of managing total rewards for employees.

Covering a range of employees that exist in the current multi-generational workplace, Paul also shared that there is a need to focus on subsegments, framing policies that can accommodate different subsegments. He says, “There is a need to introduce policies for aging employees along with millennials.” He explained further that the reward incentives give structural inputs on how they’re doing on Hot Skills, Life-stage and Life-style issues, such as aging parents, children in classes 10th and 12th.

In addition, Vodafone provides break flexibility and opportunity to take 3–18 month sabbaticals, also allowing people part-time work and pro-rata earnings. It has solutions, such as PayFlex to help it optimise earnings to help its net income go up.

The company has also invested hugely in healthcare for its employees, using insights from the analytics of three years’ data to develop a customised medical insurance policy, which ensures career, social and community well-being. It also offers insurance for the employees’ families.

Having shared that, Paul beautifully concludes saying, “One needs both mental and financial well-being to be able to focus on one’s F1 racing.”

(Sodexo, Art of Living Corporate Programs, XLRI, NHRDN Pune, NHRDN Mumbai, XoxoDay and Kommune are partners for The Happiness Conclave).

Uniformity, however much important for workplace, can never guarantee happiness. Prabir Jha, Global Chief People Officer, Cipla shares the key to employee happiness in the new era of man and machines at the workplace.

Happiness has many faces. It can mean different things to different people and hence it is not easy to ensure, especially in workplaces where people from diverse interests, backgrounds and cultures come together. Uniformity, however much important for workplace, can never guarantee happiness. So what is it that can? What makes people happy in workplace and how do organisations need to look at this agenda of ensuring happiness at work?

At the Happiness Conclave 2.0, 30 CXOs and over 120 other HR professionals gathered to seek new answers to some pertinent questions on employee happiness, engagement and productivity in the age of intelligent machines.

Prabir Jha, Global Chief People Officer, Cipla delivered the keynote address, as he shared what will ensure employee happiness in the new era of man and machines at the workplace. He began with sharing data from a research that shows that happy employees are 85 per cent more efficient in their work and that companies with happier employees outperform competition. Yet, India ranks 122nd in the Global Happiness Index.

Sharing an example of Google, which is perceived as one of the happiest places to work, Jha explained that even in a workplace like that absolute happiness doesn’t exist. “Happiness is individual specific,” he said. Happiness means different things to different people, for some it may be a pay raise, for some a specific job responsibility; while some people may generally be happy at all times, irrespective of circumstances but others may behave differently in same circumstances.

Jha suggests that HR professionals need not try and make everyone happy. “It is not our job to make everyone happy, we should simply try to create a context where right people can choose to be happy or unhappy,” he says.

Defining real happiness at the workplace and sharing the key to ensuring the same, Jha says, “Happiness is feeling fulfilled – creativity, space, opportunity of impact creation, respect, trust, appreciation, growth and reward. Creating such an eco- system is designing happiness at work place.”

Putting it in the right context, Jha says, “Happiness is a choice,” and goes on to explain how one can ensure their own happiness.

Reflection, looking within, focusing on one’s achievements and not envying others, and contentrating on things that really matter and acceptance are what people can inculcate as habits that can lead to true happiness within.

“One can chose to be a prisoner, or be bold and seek happiness,” Jha opines.

Quoting a research, Jha shares, , that people are happiest post the age of 55 and before 25. Similarly in an organisation people are mostly happy during the first 6-8 months in an organisation and for the first 12 months in a specific role.

Jha further shares that adults have an innate tendency to be anxious of the future and remorseful of the past at most times whereas children experience absolute happiness as they are always in the present moment. Adults lose the ability to feel the same happiness with progressing time and age.

He explains, “Corporates should work towards the same and focus on softer dimensions that underpin happiness, and are more difficult to understand and ensure, but cannot be ignored as there is nothing more important that can make one happy.”

The definition of happiness for people changes as they progress in life and their career and hence, something that makes them happy today may not make them happy tomorrow.

Considering the same, Jha puts forward an important question, “Is workplace happiness an oxymoron?” He wonders if one can actually be happy at a place where they are supposed to present their best self for 9-10 hours a day.

Re-emphasising the role of HR in creating happiness at the workplace, Jha concludes, “HR and leaders’ role is to create an environment and circumstances, where people can chose to be happy.” Having said that he also shares the elements that can ensure or drive happiness in the workplace, which are, appreciation, potential fulfilment and career advancement.

Last but not the least, Jha brings together workspace and lifespace in venn diagrams to showcase that a perfect balance and intermingling of both is what creates an ideal life, as excess of either can disrupt the requisite balance and happiness in life.

(Sodexo, Art of Living Corporate Programs, XLRI, NHRDN Pune, NHRDN Mumbai, XoxoDay and Kommune are partners for The Happiness Conclave).